San-J is a favorite brand in this gluten-free Asian household. Their Thai Peanut Sauce has been a staple in our fridge for years as has their Szechuan Sauce & Terriyaki Sauce.
That being said, I was excited to try their new salad dressings (which they sent to me free of charge). The flavors are good basic Asian flavors:
- Tamari Sesame Salad Dressing
Tamari Peanut Salad DressingUPDATE – Apparently NOT vegan…has whey 🙁- Tamari Ginger Salad Dressing
While admittedly HIGH in sodium, I am a fan of these dressings. I used them on seaweed salad and to lightly marinade some cucumbers (they tasted best after only marinading 30 minutes…when left overnight they became too salty). I did however cut the dressing with a bit of rice wine vinegar because I like a more “vinegar-y” dressing and I also added some red pepper flakes to the cucumbers.
Using the dressings on a regular salad produced a great result. My favorite 2 dressings were the Tamari Peanut and Tamari Ginger since they had more flavor than the Tamari Sesame.
Some more good news…San-J has Reduced Sodium Tamari now…yay!!! HOPEFULLY they will come out with Reduced Sodium Travel Packs soon (I keep the travel packs in my car for when I go out to Asian restaurants).
San-J graciously shared a recipe for one of their favorite ways to use the Tamari Peanut Dressing…
TAMARI PEANUT PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI
Created by: Amie Valpone
INGREDIENTS – Serves 4.
12 oz. whole grain spaghetti 1 Tbsp. olive oil (eliminate if water sauteing) 1 large zucchini, diced 1 (15 oz.) can white beans, drained and rinsed 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1/4 tsp. sea salt 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepperPREPARATION
Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Then, drain and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat (eliminate if water sauteing). Add the zucchini; cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Add white beans, garlic, sea salt, pepper and crushed red pepper; cook for another 4 minutes. Remove from heat; add bean mixture to the spaghetti along with San-J Tamari Peanut Salad Dressing and mix well to combine.
Serve warm and top with sesame seeds.
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Recipe courtesy of San-J. www.san-j.com